Paediatric Hospital warns of fraudulent account on Facebook

Using the image of a new-born patient, Facebook account named My Chau has asked for financial donations, doctors say. — Photo dantri.com.vn

HCM City (VNS) — The HCM City's Paediatric Hospital 1 has issued a warning that a Facebook account is using the image of a new-born patient to ask for donations.

The Facebook account named My Chau has posted the image of a two-month old baby abandoned by a woman named Nguyen T.U from Ca Mau Province with a sad incident that allegedly occurred with them while the child was undergoing treatment for a variety of diseases at the Paediatric Hospital 1.

The owner of the Facebook account, who does not work for any charity organisation or have any contact with the hospital, has tried to convince donors to send money directly to his/her personal bank account, representatives from the hospital said on Friday.

Dr Pham Thi Hang, head of the hospital's personnel unit said it was hard to clarify whether the Facebook account holder was cheating people or not, but he/she should be condemned for collecting funds through his/her personnel bank account.

Hang cautioned people not to believe in the information stated on the Facebook page as it seems to be used for cheating people.

Dr Vu Minh Phuc, head of the hospital's cardiology faculty said the child was accepted for treatment in late August with a diagnosis of a series of serious health problems including pneumonia, sepsis, chronic kidney disease, and Down syndrome, apart from a congenital heart problem.

After all efforts to contact the child's parents failed, the hospital identified him as an abandoned child and reported the case to the local police, the doctor said.

Phuc said that since then the child had been staying at the hospital for treatment and had been progressing. The baby's weight had also increased by 300g by now.

Phuc confirmed that as the child had been abandoned, the treatment he had received was completely free, similar to what all other abandoned children receive.

The doctor said the problems began after the child's picture appeared on Facebook named My Chau without any contact or report of the hospital.

"We are unaware as to how the Facebook owner had taken the child's personal information and why he or she did so. One important thing the account holder had not mentioned while appealing for funds is that the child had been treated well at the hospital and completely free of charge," Phuc said. — VNS